ca-book Chapter 59: Gathering, a Sea of Experts
Chapter 59: Gathering, a Sea of Experts
At 8:30 a.m., Shen Xing got up quickly after receiving a call from the Abnormal Handling Bureau.
After a quick wash, he pushed his wheelchair out of the rented room.
The elevator arrived at the first floor.
As soon as I came out, I saw a black minivan parked on the side of the road, with no markings on the body.
Several men and women dressed in black suits stood nearby, their expressions serious.
Before he could get close, a middle-aged man with a 3/7 parted hairstyle and a refined appearance quickly came to greet him.
"Hello, Mr. Shen Xing, I just contacted you by phone."
The middle-aged man smiled and very professionally presented his identification.
Shen Xing glanced at the documents, and nodded after confirming that they were correct.
"Come here and help Mr. Shen Xing into the car." The middle-aged man waved to the back.
Several men in black suits stepped forward without saying a word and together lifted Shen Xing, wheelchair and all, steadily into the car.
Then, the others filed into the carriage.
"Clang!"
The doors closed, the engine started, and the van sped away from the old town.
Inside the carriage, Shen Xing sat with several other men in black suits.
The middle-aged man sat opposite him, his hands folded on his knees, his posture as upright as if he were attending a formal meeting.
"Mr. Shen Xing, let me introduce myself first. My surname is Yuan, and my name is Yuan An."
He extended his hand, his tone gentle and refined: "Currently, I am an operative in the Anomaly Handling Bureau, and also the person in charge of this transportation mission."
Shen Xing also reached out and shook hands with him: "Hello."
Seeing that he was easy to talk to, the middle-aged man named Yuan An relaxed a little: "Mr. Shen Xing must be one of the best among the lords to be selected by the higher-ups to participate in the Mist Realm."
"You are so young, you have a bright future ahead of you."
Shen Xing glanced at him, thinking to himself that this guy really had a good eye for people.
"No, I was able to participate in this Void Realm thanks to Captain Zhou Zheng's help; it has nothing to do with me," he replied modestly.
"You're being modest," Yuan An smiled. "Even if Captain Zhou Zheng submits the application, you still need to be capable enough, otherwise you won't pass the review."
Next, Yuan An chatted with Shen Xing casually, trying to find topics to talk about.
However, they mostly asked about her life, such as her family situation and relationship status.
It was like conducting a household registration survey, which made him feel a bit uncomfortable.
Yuan An seemed to sense his reaction and handed him a bottle of water: "Mr. Shen Xing, are you dissatisfied with our arrangements this time?"
"No, it's just that I've been in contact with Zhou Zheng a lot lately," Shen Xing shook his head and said, "You guys are being so formal now, it's a little strange."
Yuan An was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled and said, "I'm sorry, Captain Zhou Zheng is indeed a bit eccentric, but he's quite capable."
Shen Xing nodded, ending the awkward conversation.
To be fair, although Zhou Zheng is a bit of a slacker and doesn't seem very reliable.
But compared to that, he still preferred to be around Zhou Zheng.
These men in suits were so formal that they made him subconsciously tense up.
In silence, the van slowly drove toward their destination, Mingyue Bay Park.
Located in the northwestern suburbs of Jiangcheng, this park is a relatively niche wetland park, and not many people visit it on weekdays.
Since the fog leak incident, the entire area has been sealed off.
The park has announced that a small-scale geological subsidence has occurred inside the park and a safety inspection is underway.
However, as the "Misty Sky Realm" continued to take shape, the fog became increasingly dense, and the anomalies in that area could be seen from a great distance.
Many passersby uploaded the videos to short video websites or social media, which attracted a lot of reposts and attention.
The authorities quickly issued a statement explaining that the leak was caused by the continuous subsidence of the earth, resulting in the leakage of a certain toxic substance from underground, and that experts were being dispatched to investigate.
The notice was presented in a formal manner, and included several photos of staff in protective suits conducting investigations and taking samples.
To be honest, if Shen Xing hadn't come across that game, he might have actually believed it.
Lost in thought, they soon arrived near Mingyue Bay Park.
Just like in the short video, a large area shrouded in fog could be seen from afar.
Through the thick fog, one could vaguely see the swaying shadows of trees, a few unattended park facilities, and extinguished streetlights.
The fog stopped at the edge of the park, which was then surrounded by red warning tape.
"Beep beep—"
The official car honked its horn as it drove along the empty streets, with strikingly different scenes flashing past the windows on both sides.
The buildings and shops on the right are typical modern urban architecture.
To the left, the mist swirls and churns, as if stepping into it would lead to another world.
A few minutes later, the official vehicle drove into a parking lot near the park.
The vehicles here have been cleared out, and many container houses have been set up next to it as a temporary base.
Before even getting out of the car, Shen Xing saw two familiar figures, a man and a woman, through the car window.
The man was burly and wore a windbreaker despite the hot weather. He carried a black shoulder bag that was bulging with something inside, making him look like he was going hiking.
The woman was slender, wearing a long-sleeved T-shirt with Hatsune Miku printed on her upper body and tight jeans on her lower body, and looked like she had just woken up.
It was Qin Lang and Xu Jiayi.
When the car door opened, they saw Shen Xing being carried off the train by several men in black, and the two of them immediately walked over quickly.
"Brothers, leave it to me."
Qin Lang chuckled, skillfully took the wheelchair from the man in black, and pushed Shen Xing forward.
"You two are here pretty early," Shen Xing said, turning her head.
"Ugh, don't even mention it."
Qin Lang shook his head and said helplessly, "I was thinking of getting some rest early to conserve my energy since I was going to enter the Void Realm of Mist today."
"I was so nervous that I couldn't sleep, and I stayed up until dawn. I had no choice but to come over early."
"Jiayi arrived early because her home is nearby."
Shen Xing smiled and asked, "Was there any notification about when we'll enter the Void Realm?"
Xu Jiayi replied from the side, "We need to go to the registration desk first."
"Then at noon, all players will enter together."
Shen Xing nodded, thinking to himself that this was actually quite well-organized.
As Qin Lang pushed the wheelchair, he said, "I just took a look, and there are a lot of experts here. It seems like all the top players from the forum are here."
"Let's keep a low profile for a while, so we don't get targeted by these big shots and become easy targets for them."
Shen Xing looked around and indeed sensed many powerful auras.
Some of them even gave him an invincible sense of oppression.
The three of them walked along the road to a prefab house on the west side of the parking lot.
We also encountered many players along the way.
Like them, most players here team up in twos or threes, but there are also quite a few lone wolves.
Some players noticed them and were slightly taken aback when they saw Shen Xing sitting in a wheelchair, but then they looked away.
Soon, we arrived at the registration desk.
However, there were two or three players ahead of them in line, and they were patiently waiting.
About ten minutes later, it was their turn.
The person in charge of registration was a woman in uniform with an outstanding demeanor.
She was probably in her early thirties, with light makeup, and appeared poised and elegant.
On the table was an identification card—Jiang Rong.
She looked up at them and smiled, "State your names, lord level, and the star rating of your strongest unit."
The three looked at each other, a hint of hesitation flashing in their eyes.
The woman named Jiang Rong saw through their thoughts and smiled, "Don't worry, it's just a simple statistic."
"If you're worried about revealing your strength, just give any name except your real name."
Upon hearing this, the three men's concerns were somewhat alleviated.
Shen Xing spoke first: "Shen Xing, level 6, the strongest unit is an elite three-star orc."
Qin Lang also reported: "Qin Lang, level 5, unit type is elite three-star half-human."
"Xu Jiayi, Level 5, Unit Type: Elite 3-Star Golem".
Jiang Rong's fingers moved rapidly, quickly typing their information on the keyboard.
"Not bad."
She gave a compliment, then took out three rhombus-shaped crystals that emitted a blue light and placed them on the table.
"This is your Void Crystal. Please keep it safe."
The three looked down and saw that the crystal was about the thickness of a thumb, with a number displayed on it: 45, 46, and 47.
"What is this?" Qin Lang asked, puzzled.
"Someone will explain it to you later, so take it for now."
Jiang Rong spoke slowly and deliberately, her magnetic voice seemingly possessing a special magic that subconsciously calmed people's minds.
The three of them didn't waste any more of her time. They each chose a number and put the crystal in their pockets.
Shen Xing is number 45, Qin Lang is number 46, and Xu Jiayi is number 47.
Then, they arrived at a temporary waiting area at the back of the parking lot.
This looks like the entrance to the former park; through the hazy mist, you can vaguely see a carved stone gate.
There are also some stone sculptures for decoration nearby, but they have been stained black by the fog.
The three looked around and saw that quite a few players had already gathered there.
However, most of them were very aloof, standing in their own corners with their arms crossed, giving off an impression that strangers should not approach.
Of course, there are also some more active ones who are talking to other players, seemingly trying to invite them to team up.
As mentioned earlier, Kara no Kyoukai also supports players forming teams.
Moreover, those qualified to participate in the Misty Sky Realm are all top-tier new players in Jiangcheng, possessing formidable strength. Teaming up might allow them to obtain even more resources within the realm.
Two other players came over, wanting to find a three-person team.
However, when they saw Shen Xing sitting in a wheelchair, they were stunned, then shook their heads regretfully and turned to leave.
"Hey! What are they up to?!"
Qin Lang was immediately indignant and rushed forward to argue with the person.
Shen Xing pulled him back and said calmly, "This is a very normal reaction."
"After all, the Misty Realm isn't all treasures; it also holds many dangers."
"If you're not careful, you could even lose your life, so of course everyone wants to find more reliable teammates."
He paused, then looked at the two of them: "You could actually find other people to team up with."
Qin Lang rolled his eyes at him and said disdainfully, "Tch, others may not understand you, but don't I know you well enough?"
"You dared to participate in the Void Realm, you must have enough confidence, otherwise you would never have taken the risk."
"I'm sticking with you now, waiting for you to take me flying!"
Xu Jiayi crossed her arms and said calmly, "I don't like contact with strangers."
Shen Xing smiled and didn't continue the topic.
Next, Qin Lang began to introduce the two to some of the more special players here.
"Look over there, that woman in denim shorts, whose legs are longer than my life."
He pointed to a woman who was over 1.8 meters tall, with tanned skin and a pretty face, and said, "Her name is Yu Feifei, and her nickname is Jaguar."
"This woman seems to have mastered some kind of special ability. Her instantaneous burst speed can reach 55 meters per second, and her peak speed exceeds 200 kilometers per hour. This data is from half a month ago."
"With her dual swords, even some elite-level troops are no match for her."
Then, he pointed to a young man on the right: "And that guy over there wearing sunglasses, that's Gu Feng, who boasted on the forum that he would take first place. It's said that he already has a superhuman-level soldier."
"But don't worry, we're entering a one-star secret realm this time, where we can't summon extraordinary units."
Qin Lang then looked at a rather short man not far away: "And that guy in the leather jacket, that's Xiang Dong."
"He is 1.6 meters tall and doesn't look particularly dangerous, but he is a several-time mixed martial arts champion."
"In the previous two player-versus-player battles, they even tore apart the opponent's elite units with their bare hands—that's terrifying!"